Mad Scientist
by Irhaboggles
Summary: After enough failed inventions and betrayals, Professor Squawkencluck tries to take drastic measures. When the Danger Agency tries to stop her, she flees and finds solace in a scientist with a very similar story. Together, the two make a pact to help one another right the wrongs that have been done to them until the world will never be the same again.
1. One Little Missing Variable

For as long as anyone could remember, Professor Squawkencluck had always been a bit… off. Her mental capacities and her ability to feel emotions and empathize with others were always on point, but there was always something _else_… something that was lacking… No one had any words to explain it and most folks didn't even notice until much later on, but even from the very beginning, Professor Squawkencluck had always been a little bit more different than usual and she was never quite _in line _with the rest of society.

Now, there was nothing wrong with a little difference, or a little rebellion, because everyone was unique and defiant in their own special way, but Professor Squawkencluck's way was a bit more complicated and unusual. It was harder to describe and harder to even identify. It was like a tiny variable in a massive experiment or equation, a small, trifle little thing, but whose absence or appearance could shift the balance of an entire system/structure just based on how it presented itself, if it presented itself at all.

One little miscalculation, one little missing variable, and the entire system could collapse. Such was the case for Professor Squawkencluck. No, the type of difference that really set her apart from the rest of society was something much deeper and, thusly, much more dangerous and much harder to detect. It wasn't just her tomboyish nature, or even her vast intelligence. It was something more than that. It was something that happened _because of _her vast intelligence, but as an unintentional reaction. But intention was never a factor for how destructive a reaction could be…

But because her type of difference _was _so much more unusual and undetectable than normal, it never really was a concern for anyone! No one cared, or even noticed! At least not until it was a little bit too late… One little missing variable changed the equation and when that one little missing variable was finally found, it would change the course of history _forever_.

**AN: This will be a weird, multi-chapter rewrite of Squawk's character, casting her as a slightly unstable individual that eventually spirals down into something far more drastic. The plot will be very loose, so I apologize now if it's not as flowing as a real story. Consider this more of a character re-analysis than anything else.**


	2. Exponential Decay

Professor Squawkencluck rubbed her temples tiredly as she sat alone in her laboratory at the Danger Agency.

"Once," she growled. "Just once I would like for an invention of mine to actually _work _and not be stolen, broken, misused or malfunctioned. Is that really too much to ask as the world's leading gadgeteer scientist?!"

The lab had been shut down for the day and Professor Squawkencluck was all alone in the darkness, growling to herself as she despaired over yet another failed project of hers. Despite being, as she had said, the world's leading gadgeteer scientist, her track record of successful inventions was actually pretty bad, especially in more recent times. It was as if, with every passing day, her luck kept on getting worse and worse. It was like looking at a graph of exponential decay, the downward slope getting larger and larger with every added unit.

Although Professor Squawkencluck was still churning out marvelous inventions every single day, the odds of them working long enough to see _another_ day seemed to get slimmer and slimmer with every new invention she crafted. And she just couldn't understand why!

"I don't get it!" she complained to the empty lab. "I follow every instruction to the letter! So why is nothing working?!" it was frustrating enough to make her want to pluck out her own feathers. But she was absolutely right! She _did _follow everything to the letter, and she _was _one of the smartest minds in the world, so why did her inventions have such a dark track record of constantly failing on her?!

First, there was her houseplant that went mutant and nearly destroyed the city. Then there was her special computer chip that brought a toilet bowl to life and caused it to declare war on humanity. Then there was HEAD, her computer defense system that went rogue multiple times, attempting to become a dictator each and every time. Then there was her personality-amplifying mind gel that had turned a bratty little girl into a terrifying bully with cataclysmic tantrums. Then there was her shrink ray, meant to shrink an oncoming asteroid only to shrink one of her coworkers instead. Then there was brainpower-enhancing celery that wound up doing just the opposite. Then there was Warp Drive simulator which, on two occasions, malfunctioned and endangered the lives of those using the simulator. Then there was the seriousizer, nabbed by a clownlike alien who wanted to sap all the humor from the Earth. Then there was the legion of Penbots, first meant to improve upon one of the Agency's previous employees only to then backfire horribly. Then there was the time she tried to use various principles of quantum entanglement to create a teleporter only to wind up duplicating the entire world (twice). Then there was the entire Futuroid camera mess (though that was more of a nuisance than a threat). Then there were all the times someone had stolen her face, body, identity or something similar in order to impersonate her and wreak havoc in her place. It had happened serval times over.

And there were actually a couple times where she was run out of the Danger Agency altogether! The first time, she was fired for the very reason she was fretting over now: all of her failed/broken/stolen/misused/mistreated inventions. The Agency had finally caught onto how poorly she was doing, so they sacked her. Sure, they rehired her, but only after something even more drastic happened first.

And then the second time, she had quit, so irritated by her coworkers that she left for a better, nicer, more respectful job. Then she made the terrible realization that this new job was no more than a scam run by one of her Agency's arch enemies. He'd created this new tech company solely for the purpose of luring her in, and it had worked like a charm. It was only dumb luck that got her out of there before more of her work could be used for evil! She had almost been manipulated into creating a device that would've devastated the planet.

And that was really what was bothering her right now. Even beyond the glitches and malfunctions, what really ruffled her feathers was how often her precious creations were stolen and then used for evil. Professor Squawkencluck was not a bad person! Ask anyone and they would say as such! Perhaps she was a bit weird, eccentric and temperamental, but she was a good person at heart. She had the world's best intentions ever on her mind. There was not an evil or malicious bone in her body. She was not bad. She was good! Truly good!

So why, then, were her glorious, beautiful inventions always falling into the wrong hands?! There was nothing she hated more than that. The shame, anger, guilt, self-loathing, despair and sense of failure she felt every time one of her precious "children" (for all of her creations and inventions were her children, as far as she was concerned) was misused and turned against her could never be stated enough. Perhaps the rest of the world forgave her easily, because they knew she only had the world's best intentions at heart after all, but it still was not enough. And perhaps Professor Squawkencluck could fake a smile and laugh over the whole ordeal, but that was still not enough either. Professor Squawkencluck just could never forgive or forget a single incident where her devices for good wound up becoming tools of evil.

But it wasn't even just the survivor's guilt, it was the anger at the unfairness of it all.

"Has anyone else ever worked harder than I have to ensure the safety of this country? Has anyone else ever thought and worried about the future as much as I have? Has anyone else ever spent _years _of their life doing work for the betterment of others? Has anyone else ever given up this much of their own life and identity in service to someone or something else? Has anyone else ever sacrificed as much blood, sweat, tears, time, effort, resources, ideas and sleepless nights as I have? Has anyone else ever worked their wings to the very bone every single night and day like I have? Has anyone else ever tried to be as good and heroic as I have?!"

Perhaps she was being dramatic, she did work at an agency full of other do-gooders, law-enforcers and heroes after all, but just for this one single night, all of Professor Squawkencluck's pent up rage and aggression was being let out. For once, her selfishness was in control and her rational, empathetic mind had shut down. All that remained was a whiny shell demanding to know why it had lost so much for so little in return. She wasn't entirely wrong, however. A lot of her inventions _did _end up flunking, and she had every right to be mad about it. Fate really had been hard on her, so she definitely did deserve a break. Her anger was not disagreeable. She did have a point. Now, she was trying to call it in, but arguing with fate never got anyone anywhere, though it did feel good to just let it all out and scream into the void, even if nothing screamed back.

So years of emotion, most of it repressed, were flooding out tonight in the darkness where no one else could see or hear. It was the only safe place to do this at. Professor Squawkencluck didn't trust herself around anyone else. And therein lay another problem, another missing piece to the puzzle that she was. Although she was not entirely wrong in her anger, her refusal to let anyone else see how she was truly feeling was hurting her deeply, but she was far too scared and stubborn to try to change her ways. In a strange mix of pride, ego, shame and self-loathing, a superiority and inferiority-complex both arose from her and they each did a part in forbidding her from ever reaching out for help. And she didn't dare defy them either, so tightly engrained in her mind were they.

Perhaps it was all part and parcel of being so very smart. Her intelligence was what set her apart, and not always in a good or obvious way. Her most prized and valuable asset was also her most damaging. Her vast intellect was what kept her so alone, isolated atop a pedestal. It was a beautiful pedestal and she was mighty proud to be on it, but it was lonely so high up, so far away from everyone else. But she didn't dare come down, for fear of never being allowed back up again. She would rather suffer in silence than risk her perceived reputation by allowing for a moment of weakness. Weakness just did not happen to minds as strong, brilliant and flawless as her own. And that was where the superiority-complex was.

Her sense of superiority was always evident. In the way she talked, walked, acted, spoke and thought, her every pore oozed confidence and self-worship. She took herself very seriously and highly, quick to scorn or look down on anyone she perceived as less intelligent (so basically, everyone). _She _was the top dog, the smart one, the flawless one, the brilliant mind and the brave leader. She was the one with all the answers, all the knowledge, all the skills and tools and gadgets. She was the one whom others went to for aid and advice, not the other way around. She was so self-assured in this aspect that she could not even imagine herself seeking help from anyone else other than her science books.

And then her inferiority complex kicked in. Fear of being seen as weak, stupid and a failure kept her silent. She would've rather lost her wings than her reputation. She would've rather suffered in silence than come out and risk being vulnerable. Besides she was one of the most _brilliant _minds in the world! People like her did not cry out for help. They were smart enough to fix their own problems. The only people who ever asked for help were the less intelligent or less informed. They came to smarter folks for help and answers, not the other way around. And since Professor Squawkencluck perceived herself as one of these smart knowledge-givers, asking for help was off-limits for her. Smart people didn't ask, they learned on their own. What kind of a genius would she be if she were to break that unspoken code? She was certain that she would be deemed a coward and a failure if she could not handle her own issues alone.

Additionally, her sense of pride and morality were always hurt every time someone betrayed or used her, especially if it was for evil.

"Argh! It's just not fair!" the hen cried in anger. For once, she did not care at all how childish she sounded. She threw up her wings in frustration before burying her head underneath them in despair. She heaved a very loud sigh, but still no one heard it.

She remained in that position for an hour more, generating and absorbing negative energy in a dynamic equilibrium, forced to fluctuate back and forth between one extreme and the other: anger and sadness, anger at the world and anger at herself, high energy and low energy, a desire for revenge and justice and a desire for peace and quiet. But all while she was swinging back and forth, she was spiraling downward, exponential decay overlapping with dynamic equilibrium. It was not a fun place to be in, but it was where she was trapped at the moment.

But at last, some of the hen's thoughts began to reassemble back into something that made sense. At least in her mind.

"Protection. I just need more protection. I must protect them. And then nothing can ever hurt us again…" then once those cryptic words had faded off into silence once again, the hen finally rose from her seat in the darkened laboratory and made her way back to the surface world and to bed. Through all the chaos and uncertainty, one shining pinnacle of light had managed to tear its way through and now that was going to become her new focal point, her next big project. Tremble in fear, great and mighty world, for when a maniac has her mind dead-set on an objective, she will not stop until she reaches the endgame.

**AN: This is really the core concept of the story that I wanted to get at: a more realistic analysis on what all of Squawk's failures are doing to her psyche and how it will ultimately erode her sense of self and morality. I know the show brushes off all her mistakes for the sake of humor, but if this were a more serious show where problems lasted more than one episode and had more serious repercussions, how would things be different for old Squawk?**

**(Also, there are definitely trends in people who are smart and people who have some sort of complex, whether it be superiority or inferiority, so that's another thing I want to get at here).**


	3. Potential Energy

"Squawk? What are you doing?" Danger Mouse was surprised to see his coworker up and at it so very early in the morning. Of course, he always knew that Professor Squawkencluck was a huge "Type A" kind of person, seemingly incapable of relaxing and ever on alert, but this was crazy! She had been like this for the past two months, working tirelessly on some "big, secret, new project that would revolutionize the face of the Agency forever!" Although she had continued to build tools for him and his partner, Penfold, to use while out fighting crime, this other side project seemed to be taking up more and more of her time and attention ever single day and Danger Mouse was dying to know what it was all about.

In all the previous times he'd asked, Professor Squawkencluck had refused to give an answer, but now, she was finally ready.

"I'm putting a few finishing touches on our new security system!" she cried, sounding slightly unhinged. She was sitting in the Agency's main lounge, crouched possessively over a new and mysterious device that she was tinkering madly on, like her life depended upon it. Perhaps it did.

"Oh no, not again, Professor!" Danger Mouse sighed in exasperation as he walked over to her. Was _this _her special project? Yet _another _HEAD? Honestly! He knew Professor Squawkencluck was a hen, but did she really have to be such a _mother _hen? She was perhaps the most picky, protective, paranoid hen in all of London… if not the world! Was _another _HEAD _really_ necessary? Especially after all the others had gone rogue?

"No, you're right, Danger Mouse, _not again_," Professor Squawkencluck agreed, a dangerous and mysterious edge creeping into her voice. It was like a mix of satisfaction and anger, as if she were daring him to come any closer or insult her machine again, while also being so sure of herself that she was daring him to try to prove her wrong just because she was so sure he wouldn't be able to. Either option was equally plausible, but Danger Mouse wasn't quite sure how to broach the topic. Instead, he chose to remark upon something else.

"You look awful," he said, in typical Danger Mouse style.

"But _she _doesn't!" Professor Squawkencluck replied with another slightly unstable laugh, seeming to have missed Danger Mouse's barb.

"Well then. Who is _she_?" the mouse knelt down to inspect the machine. It was a small box covered in all sorts of weird… _things_. Blinking buttons, shifting panels, pulsing wires, whirring cogs, and all manner of other sciencey-looking things.

"_She _is our latest security detail!" came the chipper reply. "Oh, but don't worry, she's not HEAD!" the hen added a moment later, standing up with a satisfied expression upon her tired face. "This new and improved girly is far, far better!"

"Oh? How so?" the mouse stood up as well, some of his unease fading as Professor Squawkencluck began to engage in more typical morning talk.

"Well, for one, she won't go rogue!" Professor Squawkencluck laughed. It didn't sound quite as unhinged as before, but there was still something about it that wasn't quite right or normal. She sounded tense, like she was on the edge of snapping. It was like she was loaded with potential energy, completely ready to burst out, but she hadn't found the right catalyst… yet.

"Ah. How do you know this for sure?" Danger Mouse asked, unsure if he was teasing or being serious.

"Well, this time, she isn't sentient. _I_ am the one who controls her, and _I_ control her _completely_," Professor Squawkencluck replied, lifting the box gingerly. "All _she_ does is monitor the place, and every agent within. While HEAD was more of a defense device, created to keep out intruders, this one is more of a monitoring system. It's like a giant security camera, with eyes _everywhere_. Every _single_ agent will be watched over at _all _times…"

And just like that, Danger Mouse's vague sense of worry returned. He'd been noticing a shift in Professor Squawkencluck's temperament for quite a while now, but thought nothing of it, assuming it was just the stress of the project getting to her. But now, for some reason, he wasn't quite so sure. He couldn't really name or explain it, but something just felt… wrong here. It felt a little… off, like something was _missing_…

"Are you sure that's a good idea, Professor?" he asked, trying to be cautious. It was very uncharacteristic of him but, to be fair, Professor Squawkencluck was acting just as odd. He was almost getting some mad scientist vibes from her, though he had the good sense not to say this.

"Of course it is. What better way to keep our agents safe than to document their location at all times?" she asked.

"Well, doesn't that seem a bit… invasive to you?" Danger Mouse asked. "I mean, doesn't it seem a bit weird, and creepy? Of course, I understand that you want to keep an eye on the place and everyone who works within it, but a device of this caliber? That can detail _everything? _There would be no more privacy!" the mouse hoped his words would shake some sense into Professor Squawkencluck. Unfortunately, it didn't seem to work.

"Privacy?" she gave him an eerie laugh. "What would you need privacy for? This is a _public _agency, Danger Mouse. You have no need for privacy! Besides, this is a _Danger _Agency. Our line of work simply is not safe enough to go without at least a little bit of security! We cannot be foolish. We must remain cautious. And one can never be too cautious, so that's what _this_ is for!" she patted her invention fondly.

"Well, what if I'm trying to use the loo?" Danger Mouse asked, worry increasing even more, but he tried not to sound too nervous.

"Well, it's not _exactly _like a security camera," Professor Squawkencluck tried to sound disarming. It didn't work. "It's not like I'll be able to actually _see_ you using the loo! I'll just know that you're there, and when you entered, and how long you stayed, and when you left!"

"Ah," Danger Mouse gave the hen a cautious smile while she gave him an ecstatic one, seemingly blind to the faults in her device. They both knew that the little device had a lot of potential energy, but while Danger Mouse considered a release of that energy to be bad, Professor Squawkencluck seemed to think otherwise and Danger Mouse wasn't quite sure how to break it to her…

It was right at that moment that Penfold stumbled in. He mumbled a sleep "good morning" before rummaging through the kitchen cabinet for his morning bowl of Honey Crumbs. Relieved at seeing that he still seemed thoroughly sound in the head, Danger Mouse gave him a hearty hello before racing over to his side, not daring to look over his shoulder to see if Professor Squawkencluck was still watching…


	4. A Reaction Out of Control

This sort of behavior from the Danger Agency's favorite hen carried on for another month or so before it all finally came to a head.

"All I'm saying is that you simply cannot bug, chip, tag, track or any other silly one-word phrase that means 'spy on' our agents like this!" Colonel K's hologram could be heard arguing with Professor Squawkencluck early one morning.

"But how else am I supposed to keep the Agency safe if you guys won't allow me to protect you?!" she demanded. She looked so frazzled now that even though she was still very outwardly clean and professional, that air of madness distorted it all and made her look beyond unkempt.

"Well, Professor Squawkencluck, keeping us safe is all very well and good, but you weren't supposed to do it like _this_," K remarked, gesturing to the wire running out of his coat sleeve. Turns out, some of those blinky-buttons on Professor Squawkencluck's main invention weren't just buttons. They were nanobots sent to chip and follow everyone in the Agency. It was part of the way the new security detail kept such a close watch on everyone. A piece of that camera literally followed them around everywhere and never, ever, ever left their sides…

"Why? Just because it isn't standard protocol?" Professor Squawkencluck challenged impatiently.

"Well, yes," K admitted. "It does breach quite a few laws of privacy and-"

"Gah!" Professor Squawkencluck gave a cry of annoyance. "You uncreative, unimaginative fools! I know it's a bit annoying and uncomfortable to be followed around all the time and spied on 24/7, but it's for everyone's _safety _and their _best interest_! Besides, this is already a secret agency, so it isn't like any of us are strangers to the danger of our job, or the nature of we do, which spying on people!

Why can't you people forget the rules for one second and realize that something far more than protocol is at stake here?! Lives are on the line and I am trying to monitor them as best I can yet, somehow, _I'm _the bad guy! Don't you understand what a necessary sacrifice this is? Don't you understand I'm just trying to do my job and save as many lives as possible? I know deaths will always occur, but that doesn't mean we can't try to lower those numbers! You guys aren't making my job any easier! Why can't you just try to understand _my_ perspective for once?! I'm not a mad scientist! I'm just trying to do my job! This line of work is not for the faint of heart. Sacrifices have always been within the company lines. Why is now any different? Rules don't always define what is right or wrong after all…"

For a time, Colonel K continued to try to calm the hen down and talk some sense into her, but she was too far gone to care. Maybe in earlier days, she could've been saved, but they were past that point by now. Like a reaction out of control, there was no returning from this. They had all waited too long to acknowledge the signs of Professor Squawkencluck's descent, certain that it was only a passing issue. Their lack of action would bite them hard in the end. That one little missing variable was finally in place and the reaction had finally begun.

Even though Colonel K had every right to be suspicious of Professor Squawkencluck and question her motives, Professor Squawkencluck could not see that logic anymore. Her paranoia, fear of failure and desire to save, protect and help had driven her over the edge. She became so fixated on fixing one issue that she failed to notice all the other ones cropping up all around her until it was too late. It was like watching someone walk down an ever-narrowing road. What happens when that person is suddenly balancing on a tightrope? What once was a wide and winding path had become smaller than the Straight and Narrow. And Professor Squawkencluck had already invested so many metaphorical footsteps that even if she was aware of where she was headed, she still wouldn't turn around because she'd invested too much into this end goal already.

All her life, Professor Squawkencluck had wanted to serve and protect. Now, this was just her way of doing it. But the saddest and most interesting part of all was how little Professor Squawkencluck cared or realized. It wasn't villainy that was driving her to be so controlling, but her own inability to see how her flaws and faults were destroying her. She literally could not fathom a world where she was wrong. Having spent so much of her life as the genius who knew everything and was always correct, she literally could not see herself ever being wrong about anything! As such, she failed to realize just what exactly she was doing and how it was negatively impacting others. She was blinded by her own justification that because she had good intentions and goals, that made anything she did along the way ok. To her, the ends justified the means.

And then her brain took it a step further, not only convincing her that she was right, but that the _others_ were _wrong_. It was her superiority complex kicking in again. She heard their complaints, but dismissed all of them with disdain and amusement, perceiving them as being less intelligent than she was and, thusly, less deserving of a listening ear. She wasn't ignoring their concerns to hurt them, but because she honestly believed that they had no idea what they were talking about. It was like a parent who disbelieved their child's wild stories about a monster under the bed. The parent would be so convinced that the child had only hallucinated the monster that they would laugh, soothe the child, and then send them back to bed with a patronizing pat on the head. That was how Professor Squawkencluck felt about and reacted to the likes of Colonel K, Danger Mouse and Penfold. She heard their complaints, but paid no mind to them at all. In her mind, what the heck did they know?!

"They are well-meant, but they know so very little!" she mused to herself once about Colonel K, Danger Mouse and Penfold, painfully unaware of the irony in her statement. She literally had no idea what she was doing. And not only that, but she was so thoroughly convinced that she was doing right that she refused to see anyone else's side. She considered her way the right way, so that was the way she was taking, all else and others be chuffed! And this was because she saw the world in such a different way than everybody else. To her, this plan made sense. But that was the issue. It only made sense to _her_, while everyone else disagreed. But Professor Squawkencluck could not see the logic in any argument that went against her own, so both sides were at a disconnect. Professor Squawkencluck seemed unable to see why her security device was a problem while everyone else seemed unable to see why it _wasn't_ a problem. Professor Squawkencluck just operated on such a different wavelength!

Like a reaction out of control, differing fates and opinions continued to drive Professor Squawkencluck and the rest of her coworkers farther and farther apart until reconciliation seemed impossible. And like a reaction out of control, it was all self-sustaining. The severity of their disconnect just got worse and worse every day, each side reinforced by their own personal beliefs until equilibrium no longer existed. Worst of all, though, it was too late to undo anything. A reaction could not be stopped after it was started, especially if it was a reaction out of control…

Professor Squawkencluck and Colonel K's discussion was cut short by the sudden sound of a siren shrieking in the distance.

"My security system!" Professor Squawkencluck squawked. She raced away from Colonel K's hologram, ignoring his cries for her to come back at once. He watched her go with a worried expression on his face. He knew exactly what had caused that awful siren to start blaring and he was worried that the culprits would not make it out in time before Professor Squawkencluck caught up with them…

Even though no one in the Danger Agency had thought to confront Professor Squawkencluck about her shady behavior directly, it definitely became more and more noticeable as time rolled on. Especially after she launched her new security program, other agents across the board became aware of just how out of control this chain-reaction really was. As the security ware continued to track their every move down to how many breaths they took under a certain timeframe or situation, they finally rallied together and created a very elaborate code meant to communicate a plan to shut down the system forever. They just hated being watched so intensely all the time. They were starting to see Professor Squawkencluck as a mad scientist and, as every hero knew, the mad scientist always had to be stopped at once before their inventions could get even worse.

Even Colonel K had been in on the whole thing, hence why he had confronted Professor Squawkencluck that morning. He was to distract her while the other agents tried to find and destroy the motherboard. Now, Danger Mouse had found it.

"Destroy it quickly, Chief! I can hear her coming!" Penfold panicked as he heard the telltale sound of talons clicking on tile.

"On it!" Danger Mouse promised, quickly dashing the box against the floor as hard as he could. While Penfold barricaded the lab door with everything he could find, Danger Mouse continued to smash the box until it was shattered almost into dust.

Right as Danger Mouse stood back up, finished with his dark work, Professor Squawkencluck managed to kick in the door. The moment she caught sight of what had been done to her precious invention, her beak dropped with horror and agony. She gave a silent cry of outrage and dismay while Penfold ran quickly to hide behind Danger Mouse who stared resolutely down at Professor Squawkencluck. It was clear that he was sorry (for once) for what he had done to Professor Squawkencluck and her beloved creation, but it was also clear that he would do it all again in a heartbeat if he had needed to.

"I am sorry, Professor Squawkencluck, truly I am," he began, totally sincere. But for once, this genuine apology meant less to Professor Squawkencluck than the shattered bits and pieces scattered across her laboratory floor. Instead, after zoning out for a few moments and missing half of Danger Mouse's heartfelt and truly empathetic apology, she cut him off.

"Just SHUT IT!" she screeched at him, cutting him off midsentence. While Penfold continued to quake, Danger Mouse obediently fell silent. He had since walked over to Professor Squawkencluck in attempt to console her and the moment she realized how close he was, she jumped away from him with an angry hiss, daring him to come any closer. She said nothing, but the rage and hatred in her glassy eyes said it all.

For a moment, then, the two old friends only continued to stare at one another in perfect silence. Both pairs of eyes were wet and both mouths were sealed shut. No one dared to make the first move. Then Professor Squawkencluck abruptly shouldered past Danger Mouse, shoving him as hard as she could, before storming right out of the laboratory and right out of the Danger Agency altogether.

**AN: Sorry if this was dark, intense and OOC, but I told you this would be a much darker interpretation of these characters, especially Squawk. I wanted to see how she would look if she ever did descend into madness and villainy and here's what came of it.**


	5. All I Ever Wanted to Be Was Good

Despite being relatively recognizable, Professor Squawkencluck was able to disappear with ease. She traveled to a bar on the edge of London, intending just to sit and stew until she could come up with a new plan. While there, she ran into another woman, a whippet, who seemed to be equally miserable and lonely. Professor Squawkencluck could tell because she had several glasses surrounding her but was still plowing right on through more drinks. And Professor Squawkencluck could see the color of the drinks: amber. She was willing to bet it was scotch.

"Hmmm, sounds good to me," the hen muttered darkly before taking beside the whippet.

For a time, the two drank together in silence, hardly even acknowledging each other's existence. After enough time, however, a natural conversation started up between the two lonely ladies.

"Tough night?" the hen asked as the whippet continued to order scotch after scotch.

"Tough life," she replied before wrapping a paw around another glass. She had a slight Irish accent.

"Ha," Professor Squawkencluck laughed dryly. At the same time, she was able to quickly surmise that this woman drank often. How else would she be able to sound so coherent and sober after drinking so much scotch? But even though Professor Squawkencluck knew her own tolerance was far lower, she ordered another drink anyway before raising it up mockingly.

"I can drink to that," she said, in response to the whippet's previous joke.

"Ha," the whippet echoed her laugh before playfully clinking the edge of her glass against Professor Squawkencluck's. It was meant to be a satirical joke, but the action made Professor Squawkencluck smile genuinely and her smile was real enough to get the whippet to give her own.

For the rest of the night, the two lost and lonely outcasts, blown together by the blistering and cruel winds of fate, spent the time talking.

"Who are you?" the whippet asked first.

"Professor Squawkencluck," Professor Squawkencluck replied.

"Ah! Professor!" the whippet's dark eyes lit up with interest. Professor Squawkencluck shrugged coolly, trying not to arouse too much suspicion.

"How about yourself?" the hen asked, subtly diverting the conversation away from herself.

"Katherine Kieran," the hen's canine companion replied. "Not a professor, but definitely a scientist."

"A scientist?" and then it was Professor Squawkencluck's turn to have her eyes light up with surprise. Katherine nodded her head with something of a smirk on her long, pointed face. Her ears twitched in amusement at Professor Squawkencluck's awe.

"I dabble in chemistry, biology, machinery, computers, tech and physics for engineering," she bragged and, again, Professor Squawkencluck's eyes lit up with interest. What were the odds she would meet a fellow scientist out here in a shambling bar on the edge of London?

"If you would believe it, I study those same exact fields," Professor Squawkencluck admitted.

"No way!" Katherine cried, though the smile on her face revealed that she did, in fact, trust Professor Squawkencluck. "Where do you work?"

"Ah, now I'm afraid that's a bit of a secret," Professor Squawkencluck gave the dog a rueful smile, pretending to zip her beak shut.

"Ah. Confidentiality. Strict business partners, liability in coworkers or private equipment?" Katherine asked with a knowing wink.

"All of the above," Professor Squawkencluck replied with an amused smirk, giving no more than that. "How about you? Where do you work?"

For a second, it looked like Katherine wouldn't answer, playfully getting back at Professor Squawkencluck for refusing to reveal her own place of work, but in the end, Katherine did indeed spill the beans. Sort of.

"Family business. I run the joint. We're a technological manufacturer," she said.

"Vague," came the amused reply.

"Eh? What can ya say?" an unbothered shrug.

More silence. And then finally… the stinger.

"So, what brings you to this part of town?"

"It's a long story."

"I've got time."

"It's not exactly happy."

"Mine isn't either, sister."

"If you're sure…"

"Can't be any worse than mine. Maybe we can compare notes after you're finished."

"Well, if you insist…"

What Professor Squawkencluck came to learn about her canine companion was this: they were both incredibly similar, and incredibly opposite. The latter proved true first. For one thing, Katherine hadn't had the very best of childhoods. She had spent the first few years of her life in Ireland before her parents passed away. Not long after, she was adopted by an American couple and moved overseas. She remained in the States until adulthood when family drama forced her to take over the family company. With the company under her control, she had a lot more freedom than she'd ever had before. She used some of it to take frequent trips back to Ireland. Even if she hadn't been there since she was a baby, it still meant the world to her, especially since she held very little fondness for her American family and home.

"They weren't exactly the nicest of people," Katherine gave a fanged smile and Professor Squawkencluck thought she saw a little bit of a wolf in Katherine's bitter stare. "I don't miss them, they don't miss me, we're all happier that way. Thank goodness for Ireland."

She had only been passing through England because even though she was Irish, she loved to travel and she wasn't going to skip out on a chance to see the rest of Europe. Why not? She was already here. Might as well explore a bit!

"Besides, it'll give me an excuse to stay out longer," she said. If her distaste for the States and the family she had left behind there weren't clear enough before, they became impossible to miss after her story was over.

"But you still didn't say what brought you out to this bar specifically," Professor Squawkencluck said after Katherine finished speaking.

"Ah, now that's a much messier matter!" came the reply. Another wolfish smile. But this time, there was no bite in Katherine's stare, just grief. Sorrow, longing, bitterness, anger, hurt and hatred, both for herself and for the world that had caused her so much pain. It was an eerily familiar look in Professor Squawkencluck's opinion.

"An old friend of mine wasn't exactly honest with me about something very big in her life. I suppose, to some degree, I can understand why she kept it secret, but the extreme lengths that she went to to keep me in the dark while all of her other friends got to know is something I cannot forgive. It was a betrayal, plain, pure and simple," Katherine explained. For a moment, Professor Squawkencluck said nothing in response, so Katherine only shook her head tiredly. "Let's just say that we aren't friends anymore…"

"And I'm guessing she's back in America?" Professor Squawkencluck asked gently, sensing that this was the sorest topic of all for Katherine.

"Yup," came the short, sharp reply. Another big swig of scotch. Whoever this friend was must've been someone Katherine really loved once…

"Anyway, how about you?" Katherine's bitter and distant gaze softened as she turned her eyes to Professor Squawkencluck's face.

"Well actually, it's a very similar story…"

Although Professor Squawkencluck's upbringing had been far happier than Katherine's, the story about betrayal by a beloved friend was very much the same. She did not give out any names, but she did confess how angry and hurt she'd been when that friend had finally taken a stand against her. Of course she respected his right to have his own opinion, but he didn't seem to want to do the same, and that was what angered her. Besides, she was sick of being painted as a villain when she was only trying to do what was best for everyone. But no one seemed to appreciate or remember that just because they were _mildly _uncomfortable with her method. As if life had ever been about being _comfortable_! Especially at a secret agency dedicated to protecting the public interest!

"Insetad of trying to see it my way, they vilify me and every single one of them-"

"Turned on you. I get it," Katherine promised darkly. "I don't have any more friends either…" another big swig of scotch. "All I ever wanted to be was good, but the world just doesn't work like that and you can try as hard as you want, but sometimes, it just isn't enough. Once a villain, always a villain, and the world will do everything in its power to keep you locked in that role. Now they think you're a mad scientist and they'll never stop."

"Well I _am _a mad scientist," Professor Squawkencluck growled angrily. "I'm mad and a scientist. I'm really angry!"

"I'm thinking that you have been burned in ways very similar to how I've been burned…" Katherine said in reply to this and Professor Squawkencluck decided to grace her with an answer. Sure, it was a personal question, but it felt nice to talk about it with someone who _actually listened_. Besides, Professor Squawkencluck got the feeling that she and this dog were about to see more similarities popping up and Professor Squawkencluck wanted to explore every single one of them.

After telling Katherine about her very long list of failed experiments, Professor Squawkencluck ended with the one event that hurt her the most (right behind the betrayal from Danger Mouse and Penfold), even though it wasn't the most recent.

"I thought I had been working for renowned scientist, Elon Muskrat. Turned out to be a trick from one of my workplace's most dangerous enemies: Baron Silas Von Greenback. Ugly old toad…" Professor Squawkencluck trailed off in a growl as that heartbreaking day returned to her memory.

"_You stole my invention?!" Professor Squawkencluck looked at the Baron with horror and anger in her eyes as yet another one of her beautiful creations was used against her and her then-friends, Danger Mouse and Penfold._

"_Stole it?! No, you gave it to me!" Greenback cackled at her, then he revealed the truth. There was no Elon Muskrat. There never had been. It had all only ever been a lie, a trick, from Greenback himself. He was so dead-set upon getting Professor Squawkencluck to work for him that he was willing to go as far as deceit to lure her in. He created an entire fake company all for her, all for the purpose of manipulating and controlling her…_

_ "And thanks to you, I got just that!" the old toad wheezed before revealing that he had stolen Professor Squawkencluck's most recent invention. It was a giant magnifying glass and, with a control panel, he was slowly angling it towards the sun. It would burn the entire planet… _

"_My solar energy breakthrough!" Professor Squawkencluck despaired, guilt and pain rising up in her chest again. _

"_Correction: _My_ solar energy breakthrough!" Greenback sneered._

"_You're using my planet-saving invention to destroy the planet!" Professor Squawkencluck shook her head in dismay, stating the obvious just because she needed to say it aloud to truly believe it. But hearing the words being spoken aloud made it that much more painful to her. _

"_So smart!" Greenback taunted. "But first? I'll DESTROY DANGER MOUSE!" he aimed the beam of controlled sunlight towards the place where Danger Mouse stood. "Thank you for your work, Professor," he taunted one last time as he pushed the sunray closer. "It is _appreciated_…"_

"So he used me. That dastardly and lying coward, that bullying freak, used me. He used my desire to be appreciated against me and almost turned me into a weapon to wage war on the entire world!" Professor Squawkencluck snapped, growing agitated with the memory. "He almost turned me into something I'm not! He almost made me responsible for something I never wanted! He almost made me do something terrible! Something I would never, ever really do! I mean, all I ever wanted to be was good!"

She threw up her wings again before setting them back down with a world-weary sigh. It was true though. All she had ever wanted to be was good. From her very first day out of the egg until now, her end goal had always been to serve and protect. It was why watching her inventions being used for evil hurt her so much… And being betrayed by someone that she thought had been a friend wasn't exactly fun either!

"Boy, don't I understand how that feels!" Katherine gave a morose bark of laughter. "I've been trying to pay back my family's debt to society for years now and I don't think I've made any progress! I mean, I _have_, but every good thing I do is swept under the rug and anything bad that happens is instantly my fault. And I've also had some of my work used for evil, so trust me, I know how you feel there…"

And then it was Katherine's turn to talk again. There had been an old business partner of hers named Terri. Terri, like "Elon Muskrat", had promised Katherine the world in exchange for a little bit of help building a teleporter. It was "for the betterment of humanity", Terri had said, allowing the entire world a way to send anything and everything to anywhere and everywhere with just a push of a button. It would've ended so many issues like drought and starvation and it would've eliminated fossil fuels entirely! And Katherine actually got it done! She and Terri actually managed to build their teleporter! But it was then that Terri revealed what she _really_ wanted that teleporter for… To transport armies across the globe wherever she pleased to make it _that _much easier to conquer the entire world without even really needing to try…

Well, after _that _little confession was made, Katherine wasted no time in turning against her old business partner and, with the help of that then-friend who had since betrayed her, the two took down Terri and her evil teleporter together.

"But she made me feel so special, so… appreciated," Katherine sighed mournfully as her and Terri's voices echoed in her head.

"_You know, I just thought that if I could make this work, I would prove to the world, and to my mother, that I was as good as the Golden Boy, my brother. But I think, most of all, I just wanted to prove it to myself…" Katherine had said upon one of the days when it seemed like their teleporter was bound to fail. But Terri had not lost faith in Katherine, not even a little, not even once…_

"_You don't have to prove anything," she had replied. "You're smarter than the rest of your family… and I'm not just saying that to make you feel better! I'm saying it as a scientist, as someone who knows. You are a marvel, any mother should be proud to call you daughter, but you need to stop trying to think like your brother, your family… So if you weren't trying to do what _he_ would do, what would _you_ do?" _

And that was how they had found the one little missing variable to their experiment! But then, only seconds later, Terri revealed her true intentions for the teleporter and every compliment she'd ever paid Katherine had instantly become sour in her mind.

"But the saddest and most annoying thing is, I think she really did mean it," Katherine said. "Oh don't get me wrong, I have no love lost for her because I don't have any pity or remorse for those who betray me, but I think she genuinely meant every good thing she ever said about me and that's what hurts the most. She was right. She saw what I didn't and used it against me. She coddled me and twisted me into her own personal puppet and it was only by the help of my… friend… that I ever managed to see through her and live to escape!"

"What a story," Professor Squawkencluck shook her head in amazement and disbelief that their stories could've ever been so similar. Along with having lots of failed, stolen, broken inventions, they'd also both been betrayed by business partners who only wanted them for their inventions with the intent of using those inventions for evil. They had both been used, abused, tricked, deceived and played.

But most importantly of all, both of them had been betrayed by the people they loved most in the world. For Professor Squawkencluck, it was Danger Mouse. For Katherine? Well, she hadn't given a name, but Professor Squawkencluck could hear it in her voice and see it in her face that even though she claimed to have no regret or remorse over someone who betrayed her, she didn't really mean that. At least not for this person.

But couldn't Professor Squawkencluck relate? Although she was still furious at Danger Mouse for what he had done, because she had only ever done any of this for him in the first place, it was kind of hard to hate him completely. But if anything, that only made Professor Squawkencluck hate _herself_ all the more, that she couldn't even hate Danger Mouse correctly. And she was willing to bet that Katherine felt the same away about whoever it was that _she _had lost back home in America…

"Loss does strange things to my family and I've lost a lot of people," Katherine whispered at last, looking utterly broken and despairing. It was as if she had been reading Professor Squawkencluck's mind and had known what the hen was thinking about: their lost friendships… But Katharine, like Professor Squawkencluck, was still a tad too prideful to ever be completely open and vulnerable. Already, tonight had been very out-of-character for both of them and even though they both had come to genuinely enjoy each other's company, there were still a few secrets between the two of them that neither of them was quite yet ready to share…

"But you know, finally, I realized that some people are just bad." Katherine continued, to fill the silence. "But you _can_ learn to protect yourself…" and then she trailed off to take another sip of her scotch. Professor Squawkencluck, subdued and silent, did likewise, and the pair spent the rest of the night in that very same position: side by side, silent and drowning their sorrows in scotch. But for once, having finally found a kindred spirit, both dog and hen felt just a little bit better than they had just a few hours ago…

**AN: Again, sorry for another heavy chapter, but this one sets up a mildly important character. She does not exist in the DM universe, but she IS a DM-version of a real character that exists in another work of fiction. I will tell you who at the end of the story. **


	6. New Business Partners

The very next day, Professor Squawkencluck found herself with Katherine Kieran again, only this time, they were in a lab instead of a bar. At the end of their meeting the previous night, Katherine had offered Professor Squawkencluck a new job and home in her family business. Professor Squawkencluck had not hesitated to agree. Perhaps some would argue that she should've exercised a bit more caution and not been so quick to pick up a new job from a stranger (especially after the whole Elon Muskrat thing), but Professor Squawkencluck had a very good feeling about Katherine. She just felt so connected to the whippet that even though they'd only met about eight hours ago, Professor Squawkencluck already felt as though she had known Katherine far longer than that. Besides, Katherine and Professor Squawkencluck had shared such similar stories that Professor Squawkencluck doubted that Katherine would ever manipulate or betray her, so Professor Squawkencluck kept her faith in her newfound friend and the two became new business partners.

Katherine's family company was called KING, Kieran Innovations for New Generations. It was a technological company, but some of that tech wasn't just the usual sort like computers, phones, convenience-objects, etc. Some of it was weaponry, and other more dangerous devices.

"We are an arms dealer to some degree," Katherine confessed as she led Professor Squawkencluck through her lab.

"So was I," Professor Squawkencluck replied dryly, not at all worried to see how much firepower Katherine was sitting on. Hadn't she made new weapons almost every time Danger Mouse went out on another crazy mission?

"But now I want to use them again," Katherine continued. She, like Professor Squawkencluck, wanted world peace, but she believed that it could only come by force, defense and regulation, evening the playing field out with the enemy in the name of self-defense and a fair fight. Life could only be safe if the peacekeepers were stronger than evildoers and the only way to do that was to ensure that the heroes always had more firepower. It was only fair, after all, that both sides have roughly the same type and amount of weaponry.

"So you want a defense force?" Professor Squawkencluck asked, though she already knew the answer. Their goals and opinions on how to reach them were very much aligned. But they didn't just have Earth's best intentions on the agenda. Instead, there was a bit of revenge too. For Professor Squawkencluck, it involved teaching the Danger Agency the error of its ways (and possibly taking over it) while, for Katherine, it was getting revenge on that backstabbing "best friend" of hers.

Professor Squawkencluck had come to learn that this friend was a Golden Retriever named Linda Versdan. Katherine had no pictures of her, however, having since deleted every trace of the other dog from her life.

"I'm not a villain or a mad scientist," she said. "I don't want to kill Linda. I just want her to experience the same hurt that she inflicted on me…" and Professor Squawkencluck understood exactly what she meant.

It was Katherine's plan to turn the tables and lie to and manipulate Linda the way Linda had done to her.

"Remember what "Elon Muskrat" did to you?" Katherine asked Professor Squawkencluck. "That's exactly what I want to do to Linda!" It was a hypocritical plan, but the way Katherine (and Professor Squawkencluck) saw it, it was only an eye for an eye. If Linda had been lying to her since the very start of their friendship, then Katherine would return the favor. She would just make use of her time as well and continue to use Linda's natural abilities to help her further her own personal agenda. Professor Squawkencluck understood Katherine's plan perfectly and agreed with it.

Her plan, as stated before, was simply to rough up the Danger Agency a bit and try to teach them a lesson before possibly conquering them. Her path wasn't as passive or covert at Katherine's. Instead, she wanted to take a much more direct, active and physical approach. But their goals were the same: making their backstabbing friends pay for their manipulative crimes.

This way of thinking seemed petty and wrong, and it was, but that was just the problem. The two lost souls were still so blinded by their grief, anger, hurt and sense of victimization that they were making martyrs of themselves and turning their hearts to stone. They were blinded by a sense of self-righteousness, convinced they could never be wrong. Perhaps it was a problem all smart people had. This advanced intelligence always seemed to lead to two things: a superiority complex and social/emotional isolation. Like Professor Squawkencluck, Katherine was very bad at taking criticism or seeing her own personal flaws and faults and, also like Professor Squawkencluck, Katherine was a very lonely lady. Her intelligence meant that she saw the world differently than most people and that made fitting in hard.

But with each woman too prideful and wary to seek help, their issues went unchecked and unresolved. Bits and pieces of their personal problems seeped through the cracks in their work. Their Type-A personalities, born from the pressures of outside life combined with the belief that, as the geniuses of the world, they were _supposed _to know everything, made it easy for them to get carried away in their work and unable to see how their "good" ideas might not be so good after all.

And their desire to be good meant they were willing to do anything and everything to achieve their ends, no matter what happened along the way. In their minds, the inventions would work, but in reality, they never did because there were too many variables they could not control, but people like Katherine and Professor Squawkencluck did not like being out of control. It all rolled back to the reputation they had to uphold and their beliefs that they really did know better than others even if it wasn't true. But good luck trying to get them to see where their faults were. They refused to listen because they could not believe that a common person would know more than them. Pride was a powerful thing. (And of course, as both of them could attest to, both they and their inventions had been stolen and used by villains many times).

There were times when Professor Squawkencluck couldn't help but wonder if it was genetic. Her own parents also had a bad track record of inventions that either worked the way they were supposed to, or actually turned out good. For example, Professor Squawkencluck's mom had accidentally turned Professor Squawkencluck's dad into a giant trash monster in attempt to teach him the values of cleanliness. Her well-intentioned idea and invention had wound up with some very negative consequences. Didn't that sound familiar?

And Katherine had the same issue. She came from a family of geniuses and inventors and while they had all intentionally made their devices to do bad things from the get-go, there was a time long, long ago when her brother had been a halfway decent guy.

"Not all of his inventions were bad," Katherine said. "But as his mental state deteriorated and his god-complex grew, they got worse and worse…" So failed inventions seemed to run within both families. But they refused to let these worries keep them down forever.

Now they were turning their deadly focus onto another massive, massive project: saving and protecting the entire world… at any cost. What better project could there be for two brilliant scientists? You didn't think small if you were a Kieran or Squawkencluck.

"So, where do we begin?" Professor Squawkencluck asked after Katherine finished giving her a tour.

"I don't know," the canine replied. "How about we find out?" and then two excited smiles spread across two unhinged faces as the two new business partners got ready to change the world…


	7. Event Horizon

For a time, no one heard a thing from either Katherine or Professor Squawkencluck, but then, both of them stepped back out into their respective worlds. Katherine returned to America, a false smile on her face as she greeted Linda Versdan at the airport and Professor Squawkencluck returned to the Danger Agency, pretending to be humble and repentant. On both sides, Katherine and Professor Squawkencluck's acts were believed at once and while Linda went on totally ignorant to how Katherine really felt about her, Professor Squawkencluck was reinstated at the Danger Agency almost immediately.

Over the course of the next couple months, hen and dog worked together under the table to send technology and information back and forth across the sea, each of them watching their own plans unfold with the aid of the other. They worked together to help one another fulfill their goals by filling in the gaps in each other's current states. Finally, then, Professor Squawkencluck felt ready to reveal the truth. She was ready to commit to the final step in her plan. She was ready to throw all of her cards down. She was ready to cross the event horizon.

"You're ready to attack the Agency?" Katherine asked, having since gotten all the personal details of Professor Squawkencluck's story.

"Whenever you are," the hen replied and only a few days later, Katherine returned to England…

"Good grief! What is _that_!?" Danger Mouse cried as he noticed a large metal dog flying overhead, blasting anything and everything with a giant laser that came out of the helmet's face. What he failed to notice was that although the laser was doing massive damage, it was not harming a single citizen because, again, Katherine and Professor Squawkencluck were not villains. They didn't want to hurt innocent people. They just needed a cover so they could get their points across.

"A new enemy, it looks like!" Professor Squawkencluck replied, quickly running to his side, careful to mask the smirk on her face.

"Then it looks like we better get on it right away!" Danger Mouse cried, not suspecting a single thing.

"I'm already one step ahead of you!" Professor Squawkencluck promised, then she laid out an elaborate plan for Danger Mouse that would land him right in Katherine's warpath. She instructed him to bring Penfold _and _Colonel K just because she wanted all three of them to be there when she revealed that she was in league with the giant Iron Dog flying around the city. She managed to come up with the excuse that the latest gizmo she'd invented for Danger Mouse required three sets of hands instead of two.

"And I can't be the third because I need to stay back here and make sure the Agency stays safe, as well as monitoring your progress!" she said and Danger Mouse ate it up. It was normal for Professor Squawkencluck, anyway, to stay back in the lab while he and Penfold went out into the field. What was unusual was taking Colonel K along for the ride, but Professor Squawkencluck's act and lie had been so convincing that the mouse didn't question her at all and, instead, ran off at once to find his two companions…

For about 30 minutes, Professor Squawkencluck led Danger Mouse, Penfold and Colonel K on a false chase around the city after Katherine. She pretended to aid the three agents and offer them advice like she used to. All the while, she was moving closer and closer to the big reveal. While Katherine kept them distracted, Professor Squawkencluck armored up in her own metal suit before flying out of the Danger Agency and rising high above it, ready to fire a canon attached to her wing-piece at the Agency itself. Right on time, then, Katherine flew around the corner with the Danger Car peeling after her.

"Oh, crumbs! There's _two_ of them?!" Penfold squeaked in terror when he saw Professor Squawkencluck's metal suit.

"Steady on, Penfold! Is that… Professor Squawkencluck?" Danger Mouse was a bit quicker to pick up on the chicken shape of the metal suit.

"Yes indeed it is," Katherine said, finally speaking for the first time since her fake attack on London had started. Through her visor, through the Danger Car's windshield, she could see three flabbergasted faces staring back at her. It was quite funny, to be honest.

"Allow me to explain, boys!" Professor Squawkencluck cried, voice echoing out from a speaker on her chest. Then she made the big reveal.

"Squawk?" Danger Mouse sounded genuinely hurt and betrayed by the news. "What have you done? What have you _become_?"

"What's best for this city and more enlightened," she replied coldly, crossing her metal wings at him. "What about you?"

"I've been trying to do the same! But in a way that doesn't revolve around deceit and the endangerment of innocent lives!" he cried back, anger slowly rising up in his voice. Beside him, Penfold was shaking in fear and disbelief while Colonel K still looked like he was trying to process all that he was seeing. Was this… a mutiny? From the goody-two-shoes that was _Professor Squawkencluck_?

But while Penfold and Colonel K remained in a stunned silence, Danger Mouse shook his head again in anger and grief. So, Professor Squawkencluck really hadn't come back to the Danger Agency at all, had she? It had all only ever been a trick. The real Professor Squawkencluck had gone away a long time ago. She had crossed the event horizon the moment she first stormed out of the Danger Agency and now she was crossing another one by finally taking an active stance against the Agency. She hadn't just crossed the event horizon that stood between herself and her job, or herself and her friends. She had crossed the moral event horizon by switching sides and proving just how far she would go to win!

"I'm not here to play petty games, mouse!" Professor Squawkencluck snapped. "I'm here to show you how wrong you really are! Your belief in me as a villain is wrong. The way you handle London's problems is wrong. And the way you think you're going to win the battle today is also wrong! I am not fighting alone, mouse. I have a very powerful ally at my side!"

Professor Squawkencluck turned her metal head towards Katherine, who gave her a quick nod before whistling. The sound pierced through her suit and, suddenly, the sky filled with other, smaller bots and each and every one of them was aimed towards the Danger Car. Danger Mouse gave Professor Squawkencluck one last horrified and despairing look before putting the car in reverse, immediately attempt to flee.

"Ah, the old game of cat and mouse!" Katherine snickered. "Or rather… _dog and hen_ and mouse."

"Well, I have no doubt that it'll be fun either way," Professor Squawkencluck. "Now let's get them!" and then, without another word, the two friends flew after the retreating Danger Car, the real battle only just beginning. Professor Squawkencluck truly had crossed the event horizon, but she didn't mind at all. Nor did Katherine, who had done just the same. But they weren't the only ones to cross over.

Their entire respective worlds would change forever because of their choices today. In a weird way, they had pushed the entire planet across the event horizon too and nothing would ever be the same again. That one small variable had finally been found and put into place and now the reaction had started and it was not going to stop any time soon. A mad scientist (or two) had been created that day and she was there to stay!

**AN: So this is where I leave you, with a cliffhanger. But that's because Katherine's story is not finished yet and I don't want to write more until it is. Just read into it that Squawk loses this particular fight but essentially becomes another weekly baddie like Greenback, and Katherine is her occasional ally whenever she's not too busy creating trouble back in America. **

**Now to tell you who Katherine is based on, as crazy as it may sound, she is based upon Lena Luthor from the CW show "Supergirl". Because my interest in Supergirl and Danger Mouse ran parallel, I began to see a lot of similarities between Lena and Squawk (which this fic should've outlined in full). As such, with the most recent angst that is season 5 (fun fact, this chapter was named after the first episode of Supergirl, season 5), I decided it was high time we had Squawk and Lena meet (sort of) and then discuss their personalities and flaws and maybe explain where those issues came from. I hope it made sense, crazy and weird though it was. **


	8. Infinite Earths

"Woah. What happened here?" Danger Mouse breathed, barely speaking above a whisper. There really was no need for him to whisper, but the setting in which he found himself was just so disturbing that anything else felt wrong. He was currently in Professor Squawkencluck's lab. Or what was left of it. The place was in shambles, shattered. It was dirty, broken and forgotten. Everything was in disarray and disrepair.

The lights were broken and nonfunctional. The walls and floors were broken and filthy. There were frayed wires poking out of every crack and crevice, spitting out dismal little sparks that vanished the second they touched the dirty, cracked tiles of the floor. Beakers and monitors were shattered. The air smelled like decay, and bad chemicals. Tables and chairs were overturned. Tools, devices and broken glass were scattered across the floor, covered in rust and dust. Doors had been ripped off of hinges and discarded carelessly. There was rust, dust and mildew on nearly every surface. Books lay all over the place in various pieces. Papers were scattered, torn or rotting. Things were bent out of shape. It looked like a tomb, long-lost and forgotten, left to forever rot alone in the dark.

"What happened here?" Danger Mouse repeated, only this time, he sounded more sad than afraid. There was something so dismal and lonely about this broken old lab that anger and horror turned to despair, mourning and pity.

"I don't know," Professor Squawkencluck replied, sounding a bit more nervous than Danger Mouse. "But whatever happened, it's too late to help. It would be best if we left. Now," she pulled out a little device. It looked like a remote, but it didn't change TV channels. It changed universes.

She had invented a device that let her travel to any universe in the multiverse at a whim. This was her first test-run of the device and the results had been upsetting, to say the least. Of course, technically, this did prove that her tool worked, but walking into a shattered version of her lab that looked as if an entire war had taken place inside of it was really not the most pleasant of sights. It was uncomfortable and sad, as well as chilling and haunting. It was not exactly what she had wanted to see the first time she ever used her dimensional portal. And like she had said, clearly something or some_one_ had done major damage here. Professor Squawkencluck didn't exactly want to hang about…

"Come on," she insisted. "We need to go…" but in the instant before she could push the button that would take them both back to _their_ world, an explosion sounded off that sent her and Danger Mouse flying deeper into the darkness of the lab, their device quickly becoming broken in the rubble. Uh oh… And then something appeared in the hole of the wall created by the explosion. It was a giant metal creature shaped vaguely like… like… like a chicken?

"Well, well. What an… _awkward_ situation…" even though the voice was robotic, Danger Mouse could still hear _that_ Scottish accent in it. What?…

"Professor Squawkencluck?" then the metal creature pressed a button on its neck and its face peeled back to reveal… Professor Squawkencluck.

20 minutes later, Danger Mouse and Professor Squawkencluck (the real one) found themselves tied up at the feet of, well, the _other _Professor Squawkencluck and her canine companion.

"I can't believe you actually did it!" the canine marveled as she bent over to study Danger Mouse and Professor Squawkencluck (the real one). Danger Mouse could hear a slight Irish accent within her voice. Her green eyes darted madly as she sniffed and pawed at them both, ears twitching.

"I can't believe you doubted me," the Other Professor Squawkencluck replied teasingly.

"Oh hush," the canine said, but her feverish interest had turned into fond, gentle affection as she turned to address the hen.

For a moment more, the two chattered and bantered until Danger Mouse finally found the courage to speak up.

"Wait a minute here," he said. "Who _are _you two?" and then the hen and dog turned on him with the most unpleasant of smiles.

"I think you recognize me," the Other Professor Squawkencluck said first, casting a cruel eye at her doppelganger, who said nothing in return. This earned her an amused smirk from the Other Professor Squawkencluck who then turned back to her canine companion once again.

"This lovely whippet right here is Ms. Katherine Kieran, my associate and friend," she introduced.

"Pleased to meet you," the whippet gave a mocking bow, ears twitching in amusement as she continued to study them languidly.

"Well, uhhh, I'm Danger Mouse," Danger Mouse introduced himself stupidly, because he could not think of what else to say or do.

"I know," Katherine replied. "We have fought many times before…"

"We have?" Danger Mouse asked. "Did I win?" it was a petty, stupid question, and very typical of him, but he only asked just because he really had no idea what else to say or do in this situation. But he felt _his _Professor Squawkencluck nudge him in the side in despair and annoyance. The Other Professor Squawkencluck, though, seemed more amused than anything. And so did her canine companion.

"Some of the time," she said with a toothy smirk. "Sometimes your brute strength and creative ways of thinking would triumph over mine. But I have won just as many battles," her smile became even toothier.

"Well. What are we doing here now? Where is the Other Me?" Danger Mouse asked.

"What _you _are doing here is unimportant," Katherine shrugged, tossing her head disdainfully. "We are more interested in your friend's toy…" those sharp green eyes turned to the Real Professor Squawkencluck and they glittered hungrily.

"My device?" the Real Professor Squawkencluck finally spoke up.

"Yes," her doppelganger replied. "You see, I have known about the multiverse for many, many years, but I have never been able to find the means to travel through it myself. I did figure, however, that at least one of my many, many alternate forms would finally figure something out and if I could manipulate the probability, I could draw you, and that device, here. Now I have done it! After building a device that would send out signals designed to respond to my exact genetic code and pull it in wherever it was coming from, I have managed to reel you in _literally_!"

"Well there's no use!" the Real Professor Squawkencluck cried nervously. "You destroyed my device back when you blew half of my- _your_\- lab!"

"That's what you think," her doppelganger taunted, then she held out a remote. The Real Professor Squawkencluck's jaw dropped.

"Oh come on! Surely you are aware of how talented an engineer you are?" the doppelganger demanded with a scoff as her counterpart only continued to gawk at the repaired teleporter. "And besides, I have an excellent associate in Ms. Katherine," the Other Professor Squawkencluck continued, turning again to smile at her partner.

"B-b-but why?" the Real Professor Squawkencluck stuttered in dismay and confusion. Seeing her evil self was far from fun. And she thought the Twisty version of herself had been bad! That one had been mean, rude and aggressive, but this one was downright insane! Unhinged!

"A revenge plot," the Other Professor Squawkencluck shrugged as if she were only talking about the weather. "You see, an old friend of mine did me very wrong. I need a bit of payback before we can proceed…" her eyes slowly turned towards Danger Mouse.

"Proceed with what?!" he sounded shrill as the Other Professor Squawkencluck turned her hungry gaze on him.

"Making the world a better place," the Other Professor Squawkencluck replied. It was such a dissonant remark given everything else that she had said that Danger Mouse and the Real Professor Squawkencluck could only blink.

"Doing what?" they asked.

"Making the world a better place," the Other Professor Squawkencluck repeated. When she was only met with further confusion, she sighed impatiently. "I'm not a villain, ok?" she demanded. "I don't want to kill or hurt anyone! I just want people to understand the pain they put me through and then I want to make sure it never, ever, ever happens again… EVER," she insisted.

"And Katherine's helping you with this?" Danger Mouse gave a nervous laugh, as if hoping the dog would talk some senses into the (other) hen.

"I have suffered much the same plight," the whippet replied, eyes empty of remorse as she shattered Danger Mouse's hope of finding an ally. "And I have the same goal in mind. I figure that if I could rewrite the brain to be more compassionate and honest, this entire world would improve drastically. Unfortunately, the things I need are far beyond my range or skill. But that is exactly why we need your little device…"

"You want to go dimension hopping," the Real Professor Squawkencluck gasped, suddenly understanding the entire plan before any of it was explained to her. She might have been incredibly different than her doppelganger on this Earth (whatever Earth that might've been), but they were still the same person underneath (sort of). As such, even if the Real Professor Squawkencluck didn't quite understand her doppelganger or that doppelganger's motives, she was able to trace that doppelganger's train of thought with ease.

"You're going to use my device to hunt through every universe in the multiverse until you have all the resources you need to rewrite humanity!"

"Bingo!" the Other Professor Squawkencluck said happily. "I'm glad to know that as soft as you are, you still possess vast intelligence!" the Other Professor Squawkencluck looked quite smug, her vanity pleased by her counterpart's quick wit.

"And with infinite Earths, we have an infinite chance to find what we need," Katherine chimed in darkly, looking more wolf than dog.

"That's going to be a crisis for those Earths!" Danger Mouse cried out.

"No it won't," Katherine replied, ears twitching in amusement. "Have my associate and I not made it clear that we mean you no harm? We are only trying to do what's best for humanity. We will go to these infinite Earths and take what we need until we have it all, but we will not use those resources for harm. We are using them for good!"

"And how do you know what's best for humanity?" Danger Mouse challenged, fear finally turning into anger. "Haven't you ever heard that the ends don't always justify the means? What you're doing is insane!"

"You just don't understand us," Katherine replied with a shrug. "But that's ok. Seldom do. Professor Squawkencluck and I are well used to it…"

"Now if you don't mind, we shall be on our way," the Other Professor Squawkencluck agreed. "I will return you two home, and then Katherine and I shall continue our work…" Then before either Danger Mouse or the Real Professor Squawkencluck could protest, the world went dark.

The next time the lights came back on, Danger Mouse and the Real Professor Squawkencluck found themselves back home safe and sound in the Real Professor Squawkencluck's original lab. Everything was clean and whole, functioning and flawless, pristine and perfect. But what should've been a moment of relief and joy was soured by the fact that even though Danger Mouse and the Real Professor Squawkencluck were home safely, there were now two maniacs running around the multiverse with the Real Professor Squawkencluck's dimension-hopping device and it didn't seem like there was anyone out there to stop them. That was the scariest part.

Even if they claimed a vow of doing no harm, it was never that simple. Good intentions did not always equal good results. Even if the Other Professor Squawkencluck and Katherine Kieran genuinely meant well, their actions were going to cause a crisis, but they were too blind and stubborn to understand that. And again, there was no one out there able to stop them. The Danger Mouse from their world had been nowhere to be found and even if he were still alive and well, Other Professor Squawkencluck and Katherine Kieran could already be worlds away, moving ever closer to their goal of a "perfect" world. That was the scariest part.

"So what do we do now?" Danger Mouse demanded nervously.

"We get started building another dimension-hopper," Professor Squawkencluck replied with a grim, determined expression. This sort of madness could not be allowed to stand. Even if it would be easier to just let it go, that could not happen. The chase was on! This would not be the last time Professor Squawkencluck met her evil self. She could only hope that, the next time they came face to face, she would be ready for it.

**AN: Calvin, this is your Evil Squawk AU. I've tied it into this fic just for fun.**


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